Joanna James
Being one of Asia's top tourist destinations, Thailand's capital Bangkok receives thousands of tourists each year. Here are 5 less visited hidden treasures that most people miss when visiting Bangkok.
Amphawa is one of the biggest floating markets in Thailand that most often gets overlooked in favour of the larger floating markets such as Damnoen Saduak and Bang Khu Wiang because of its size and population. The market is the most tourist-friendly market that most taxi drivers will gladly take you to and from for a nominal amount. It is a great place to enjoy popular Thai street food like herb shellfish, grilled fish or prawns and good places to buy souvenirs. The best time to visit Amphawa is in the morning because as the day progresses the markets tends to get quite busy and crowded.
Just like the name suggests, Cat Cafés are cafes dedicated to adorable and cuddly cats. Most houses and apartments in Bangkok city are not large enough to accommodate cats. Hence if locals want to spend time with cats (which is supposed to be therapeutic and relaxing), cat lovers will visit one of the many cate cafés situated all over the city. The interior of cafes similar to Caturday are decorated using a cat theme and are home to plenty of cute cats that will keep you company as you grab a bite to eat.
Bangkok is home to some of the most beautiful temples in Thailand. But between the majestic beauty temples like Wat Arun, Wat Saket and Wat Pho lie some strange temples with rather peculiar themes and designs. Bangkok's Pariwas temple, for example, has a statue of David Beckham carved into its main altar. Wat Phra Dhammakaya, which is known as the UFO temple by the locals because of the resemblance the temple takes to a UFO is another temple you should definitely visit. Although not a temple the Chao Mae Tuptim Shrine: The Penis shrine gets an honourable mention as its shrine which has penises of all sizes and shapes carved out of wood scattered all over its grounds. The shrine is frequented by women trying to conceive children as locals believe the shrine is supposed to help women with fertility.
Tourists visiting Thailand have a wide variety of choices when it comes to food: From street food vendors to fancy upscale restaurants to luxurious hotels similar to Maitria Hotel Sukhumvit 18. The Unicorn café however unlike a typical fine dining restaurant in Sukhumvit has a rather bright and magical Unicorn theme that is bound to brighten up your day. The interior of the restaurant is decorated in rainbow colours and the menu offers a wide variety of unicorn themed food like the "Unicorn blood" or "Unicorn burger". If you're a fan of unicorns, then this is the place you should visit to make all your unicorn dreams come true!
The Phaya Thai Palace is a lesser known palace that was built 700 years after the Grand Palace using European architectural styles. It is frequented by Thai tourists and comparatively less foreign tourists. You can learn more about the Palace's red-roofed Victorian reminiscent architecture and why King Rama built the palace by taking part in a tour that the palace organizes. The tour ends with a cool drink of Thai iced tea or coffee which is served at Cafe de Norasingha, a café that is housed in a historic building that has a similar architecture to the Palace.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
